Ishmael's Oranges

Starred review from June 1, 2014
April 1948 in gleaming Jaffa. An older boy mocks Salim for wanting to pick oranges in his family's orchard, then says, "The Jews are coming for you." Shortly thereafter, mortars whiten the sky, and Salim's family loses everything. In the Sixties, as he's graduating with a degree from University College, London, Salim meets Judith ("Jude"), and what follows is the moving story of the complications that inevitably result when a Palestinian man and a Jewish woman marry. VERDICT An accessible and beautifully rendered work that makes the tragedy of the Middle East real; highly recommended.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Can love overcome the pervasive enmity inherited by Palestinians and Jews? In a carefully balanced narrative that shows the damage each side has inflicted on the other in their ongoing conflict, Hajaj brings politics to a personal level. The deep attraction between Salim, a Palestinian forced from his home when Israel was formed, and Jude, a Jew from England, flies in the face of both their upbringings. Carefully laying both the interpersonal and societal groundwork, Hajaj makes clear the remarkable courage of Salim and Jude's choice to pursue a relationship and the considerable challenges they must confront. In her first novel, Hajaj, who herself shares both Palestinian and Jewish heritage, shines a revealing spotlight on the consequences of deeply embedded prejudices. The focus is so targeted that anything else is relegated to a shadowy background. However, the thorny nature of Salim and Jude's struggle as they are caught between their heritage and their hearts is compelling, as their story strives to answer the question: When both sides feel wronged, what can set things right?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)